1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for properly aligning a luminarie such as a spotlight, floodlight, track lighting, and the like, and more particularly to a laser light alignment tool that directs a concentrated light beam at the desired lighting location to enable alignment of a luminarie to be determined.
2. Description of Related Art
It is of course well known to mount luminaires such as floodlights and spotlights to the walls of a building, light standards, posts, ceiling, wall mounts, or the like, in both internal or indoor and external, or outdoor areas. Floodlights produce a broader light beam and are used to saturate a relatively large area with light, while spotlights direct a more narrow beam of light at a specific object or site, with reflectors in the light fixture being used to collimate the light beam into substantially parallel rays. Such interior and exterior lighting is routinely provided both for practical safety and security purposes and for decorative purposes. For example, floodlights, with or without motion sensors, may be mounted outside one's home in dark areas to discourage intruders, or along walkways to guard against accidental tripping and falling. Overhead floodlight are typically mounted at a height of about nine feet or more to discourage tampering as well as to illuminate a larger area. Two floodlights adjustably mounted to a single base may be used to provide an even wider degree of coverage, with the base containing any necessary ballast capacitor or other components for both lights, and with socket housings for the lights adjustably mounted to the base using a horizontal swivel joint and either separate or combined vertical pivot joint arrangements or the like so that the socket housings can be rotated within a range of motion in both a horizontal and vertical plane. Often, numerous powerful floodlights may be strategically positioned and aligned to cumulatively illuminate an even larger area, such as a parking lot, a sports field, the interior of a warehouse, and many other areas. In addition to improving safety and security, lighting is also commonly used for decorative purposes, both indoors and outdoors. For example, a combination of spotlights and floodlights and other low voltage lighting may illuminate certain features of a landscape or garden, or highlight particular architectural features of a building. Track lighting systems are also very popular for interior lighting and decorating. A directed light beam may, for example, be directed from a light fixture close to the ceiling of a room or anywhere else in a room toward a treasured ornament or memento upon a mantle or a unit of furniture to illuminate or spotlight a particular ornament or the like or a spotlight may be used to illuminate a particular portion of a stairway or the like.
With increased practical and decorative applications for electric lighting, more time and effort is being spent adjusting and aligning the light housings so that the lights are directed at exact preselected points or locations. After a luminaire is properly mounted, the angle or direction the light housing is facing or directed to must be adjusted manually several times until it is aligned properly. This customarily requires at least two persons working together, one on a ladder or the like to manually adjust the angle of the light housing and direction of the light beam, and the other on the ground assisting such person in aiming the light. Alternatively, one person alone may climb up and down a ladder several times while adjusting the angle and direction of the light housing and then checking to see if the light is correctly positioned. This can be inconvenient and time-consuming, however, particularly if several or even a large number of lights must be properly aimed, or if the position of such lights must be adjusted periodically. Often, it is visually difficult to determine if a light is correctly aligned, due to the brightness of the light and angle at which it is being viewed, and the correct position may never be achieved. On the other hand, if such lights are not properly aligned their practical or decorative effectiveness and desirability may be significantly diminished.
Numerous devices and aids for aiming and adjusting the direction of a light source are found in the prior art. It is also known to use laser pointing devices for a wide range of purposes including as an alignment aid, but not to align a light quickly and accurately in the same manner as in the present invention. The most relevant-appearing prior art references known to the present inventor are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,285 issued to J. N. Shibla on Jul. 3, 1979, entitled “Point Locating Apparatus,” discloses a device for locating a previously located point, such as a ground oil fill pipe, on a reoccurring basis. A support bracket for a laser light is mounted to a nearby support wall and is adjusted so as to direct a laser light at a precise location, and the bracket is secured in such position. The laser light is removed from the bracket until a later date, at which later date the laser light is placed back in the bracket and turned on to point to the proper location. Shibla does not disclose the use of a laser light to properly align the direction of another light source, however.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,789 issued to D. E. Husby et al. on Jul. 13, 1982, entitled, “Flood Light Aiming Method,” discloses a method for properly aiming a flood light, whereby in one embodiment a laser light device is temporarily mounted on the outer surface of the housing for such light, with the laser light emitted in parallel with the beam emitted from the luminaire light source. The laser light is then used as a guide to visually align the luminaire light, with the laser light being aimed at a “pie plate” or reflecting member positioned adjacent such desired location, after which the light housing is secured in the proper position and the laser light device removed. Unlike the present inventor's arrangement, in Husby's method a user must first make sure that that laser light is mounted in parallel with the beam emitted by the light source, which can be difficult and is likely to be a time consuming and error prone process, while in the present inventor's arrangement, such alignment is achieved automatically. In an alternative method, which is also more complicated that the present inventor's arrangement, a mirror is placed over the lens of the light being aligned, and a laser light situated near the desired position at which the light is to be aimed is directed at the mirror and reflected such that the proper alignment of the light can be determined.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,595 issued to W. P. Carney on Apr. 14, 1998, entitled “Laser Aiming Device,” discloses a universal adapter for affixing a hand held laser pointer to multiple unrelated apparatus. Such adapter, however, is not securable in a light housing socket for aiming a light source as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,648 issued to J. V. Miller et al. on May 25, 1999, entitled “Aimable-Beam Fiber-Optic Spotlight Luminaire”, discloses an aimable fiber-optic spotlight light mounted in a tubular housing and having a lens mounted on the distal end of the housing. A fiber-optic light is directed at the lens, and a light guide is used to adjust or shift the direction of the light beam without moving the housing, and thus the housing can be recessed into a surface without leaving room for adjustent. While numerous other arrangements for aiming spotlights and the like are found in the prior art, an apparatus for ensuring that a light is properly aimed at a preselected position similar to the present invention is not known.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,219 issued to C. E. Palumbo, II on Sep. 11, 2001, entitled “Laser Alignment Method and Apparatus,” discloses a laser aiming device which is mounted in the end of a conduit pipe and provides a center reference point to facilitate installing pipes where straight line assembly is fairly critical, such as in installing building sprinkler systems. The laser pointer is secured in a central aperture in a cap member, which cap is threadably secured in or mountably secured over the end of a pipe with the laser light beam projecting outwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,643,019 issued to J. D. Jeanneret on Nov. 4, 2003, entitled “Laser Alignment Device,” discloses another laser alignment tool that can be secured to a surface by a screw or the like, or fitted over the end of a pipe. Such device includes a first pipe cap to which the laser is mounted, and a second pipe cap that is detachably secured to the first pipe cap via a reducer sleeve arrangement. While apparently a simple and easy to use alignment tool for its particular purposes, use as an aid for aiming a floodlight, spotlight, or the like is not disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,709 issued to B. R. Teichgraeber et al. on Nov. 18, 2003, entitled “Reflector Alignment Tool for Projection Illumination Systems,” discloses a tool for aligning projector optics having a cathode portion that fits in the cathode socket of a projector lamp, an anode portion which fits in the anode socket, and a light source such as a flashlight positioned between the cathode and anode portions to approximate the arc position of a lamp fitted in the cathode and anode sockets. The anode and cathode portions are connected by at least two rods, and the device is arranged so that when the shadows cast by the rods are equal, the device is properly aligned.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,904 issued to M. L. Naughton on Apr. 6, 2004, entitled “Laser Light Handle,” discloses a handle for a surgical lamp including a laser light that is used to position or align the surgical light beam. The handle of a typical surgical lamp is positioned centrally in the light path and is grasped to adjust the position of the light housing, which is mounted to a wall or support by an adjustable bracket. In Naughton the laser light remains in the handle during use of the surgical lamp, while in the present invention the laser light mounting is used only to align a light fixture housing, after which it is removed from the socket and replaced by the light source.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,644 issued to T. Perkins et al. on Apr. 13, 2004, entitled “System for Aligning a Hub/Mask with a Soffit Penetration Point and Method of Using Same,” discloses an alignment device for aligning a drilled orifice into the soffit of a building above the hub or opening in a power meter installation in which a threaded retainer or holder is rotated into a hub or opening in the meter, a laser is inserted into the holder and a hole drilled at the impingement point of the laser beam on the soffit for entrance of service to the building.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,336 issued to K. J. Brant et al. on Jun. 8, 2004, entitled “Pool Cue Alignment and Training Apparatus,” discloses a pool stick having a laser light in the tip to aid players in lining up shots. The laser light is used in combination with a reflector system situated along the side rails of a pool table so that the light emitted by the laser light reflects off such reflectors and can be used to line up bank shots off the side rails. While Brant thus illustrates another use of a laser light for alignment purposes, the laser light device is not used as an aid for aligning a primary light source.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,946,973 issued to L. M. Yanda on Sep. 20, 2005, entitled “Precision Parking Device,” discloses the use of a laser light as a parking assist device in a garage having an automatic door opener, whereby the laser light is activated to indicate when a vehicle is properly positioned in the garage. While laser light may be electrically connected to the socket base for the main light of the garage door opener system, such laser light is not physically mounted in the light socket.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2001/0034944 issued to C. L. Cunningham on Nov. 1, 2001, entitled “Laser Leveler,” discloses a laser alignment tool having a base for detachably mounting to a water pipe or the like by magnets. When mounted and turned on, the laser light is aimed at a position where a drill hole for attaching a bracket or the like is to be drilled, or to aid in placing a pipe or conduit bend. An air bubble type level is also included.
According to the above references, it is known to utilize a laser light as an alignment aid in various circumstances, including, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,789 issued to Husby et al., to aid in correctly aiming a flood light. In Husby et al., however, the laser light is mounted on the outer surface of the light housing, rather than in the light socket. In addition, none of the other prior art references known to the present inventor teach the temporary insertion of a laser light in the light socket of a spotlight or floodlight luminaire during adjustment of the light housing, with the housing for the laser light being made from an electrically non-conductive material. In addition, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,285 issued to Shibla teaches the use of a laser light to point to a specific location, such reference also does not teach the temporary mounting of a laser light aiming device in a light socket to aid in aiming a floodlight or spotlight type luminaire.
Thus, while the prior art devices discussed above are useful for their own particular indicated purposes and uses, none exhibits the particular features of the present inventor's luminaire alignment aid apparatus that make such apparatus significantly easier and less time-consuming to use. The present apparatus is mounted in the light socket of a luminaire to be aimed in a particular direction or towards a preselected spot by pressing the prongs of the base or housing into the socket. The laser pointer device is then turned on, after which the housing can be directed so that the laser light is pointed at the desired location, or the midpoint of such location. The housing is then secured in such position, after which the alignment apparatus is removed from the light socket and replaced with a suitable light source, which when turned on or activated will already be aimed at the desired location.